SAM MITCHELL concedes he must stop lifting his knee to protect himself from oncoming opponents after copping a fine from the Match Review Panel. 

Mitchell accepted a $1500 fine for raising his knee and 'corking' Nat Fyfe during Hawthorn's thumping 72-point win over Fremantle on Sunday.

It was the second time this year that the Hawks veteran has come under scrutiny for raising his knee, after he made contact with Crow Taylor Walker in round 12.

Mitchell was cleared by the MRP after the Walker incident, which later forced the Adelaide captain to be substituted out of the match.

But he said industry feedback from the Fyfe clash indicated he had to change his approach. 

"I looked at the vision that the MRP look at and I can understand why it's not a good look and it's not a good thing for the game," Mitchell told Hawthorn's website. 

"Although it's not my intention in that situation to hurt the other person – it's purely just to protect myself – I guess the game has given me the feedback that I need to change the way I go about doing that. 

"I'll work on some techniques over the coming weeks and do it differently. But it's just an instinct thing that I've done for a long period and something that I now need to change. 

"I have to do it differently, I need to find a new way to protect myself and get out of that habit, if you like, of putting my knee up. I need to turn to the side or whatever." 

Mitchell starred with 39 disposals, 10 marks and a goal in the win over the Dockers, the Hawks' sixth-straight victory.

Despite the fourth-placed Hawks cementing their premiership favouritism, Mitchell said there was still room for improvement ahead of a blockbuster meeting with the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

"We certainly played better on the weekend. We haven't been playing all that well," Mitchell said.

"Although we've been winning on a weekly basis for the last little period, we haven't been hitting our absolute straps. I think on the weekend it was a step forward in that area, we were able to put four quarters together.

"We're going to have to play really well against Sydney up there. We have great contests against the Swans and I think this week will be no different."